Meaningful
Use and the Advancing Care Information Program

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), which was
signed into law in April 2015, proposes a
new approach to paying physicians. In April of 2016, the
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) released a proposed rule
under MACRA that signals the end of Meaningful Use for Medicare
physicians. The program is still under review for hospitals.

The proposed program is called "Advancing Care Information", and is
designed to be simpler and more flexible than Meaningful Use. Key
goals of the new program, as described on the official CMS blog,
include:

If finalized, the Advancing Care Information program will be
effective for Medicare physician offices on January 1, 2017.
Providers failing to demonstrate Meaningful Use in 2016 will still be
penalized through the end of 2018, due to the two-year lag used for MU
penalties.

JCS has experience working with organizations to demostrate
Meaningful Use, and understands the implications of the changes this new
program will bring. If you are a part of a Medicare physician
office, January 1, 2017 is not far away. If you represent a
hospital, it makes sense to understand these changes and start preparing
for them now.
Contact Us now to learn more about how we can help you get ready.